Method and system for altering the presentation of broadcast content

ABSTRACT

A method and system for altering a presentation of broadcast content is disclosed. Embodiments provide an accurate and efficient mechanism for suppressing advertisements by using downloaded templates to identify advertisements before suppression for a duration indicated by information downloaded about the advertisement, where the suppression is effectuated by controlling a display or set-top box using remote-control functionality. In one embodiment, a digital signal comprising broadcast content is accessed. A plurality of templates are received and stored, wherein each template represents a known portion of the broadcast content. The digital signal is then compared against a portion of the plurality of stored templates. Upon a match, a control signal operable to alter a component of a presentation of the known portion of the broadcast content is generated.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/453,123, filed Jun. 13, 2006, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEMFOR ALTERING THE PRESENTATION OF BROADCAST CONTENT,” naming BrantCandelore as the inventor, assigned to the assignee of the presentinvention, and having attorney docket number SONY-50V8285.01. Thatapplication is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and forall purposes.

The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/453,113, filed Jun. 13, 2006, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FORALTERING THE PRESENTATION OF RECORDED CONTENT,” naming Brant Candeloreas the inventor, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, andhaving attorney docket number SONY-50V8285.02. That application isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most every business entity advertises to promote products or services,and often pays significant sums of money on such activities tobroadcasters and service providers. Given that most acknowledge thatbroadcast media provides wide exposure, advertisements generate largeamounts of revenue for broadcasters and service providers. Therefore, inan effort to increase revenue, broadcasters and service providers maytake any steps necessary to encourage advertising.

On the other hand, consumers are generally less entertained byadvertising. To most, an advertisement is an unwanted pause in a programwith generally increased volume, and therefore, a significantinconvenience. As such, the volume on a television set may be mutedduring a commercial within broadcast. Alternatively, a user may changethe channel or turn the television set off during a commercial. Althoughthis may effectively suppress an advertisement if successfully executed,such methods are laborious and prone to error given that a user mustguess as to when the commercial break will end.

In addition to broadcast content, recorded content may also containadvertisements if it was recorded from a broadcast. As such,time-shifted content on VHS or personal video recorders may contain thesame annoyances as broadcast content. Although users may employ thetechniques discussed above to suppress commercials in recorded content,the previously-mentioned drawbacks persist. Moreover, despite theability to fast-forward through commercials, users must still deal withundershoot and overshoot problems. For example, if a user fast-forwardspast an advertisement adjoining a program, he or she must then rewind tothe correct location, thereby risking the same over/undershoot problems.Similarly, if the user stops the fast-forwarding prematurely, then he orshe must either watch the remaining commercial or fast-forward againrisking under/overshoot. Thus, despite the advantages of time shiftingover viewing in real-time, commercial suppression in recorded content isstill a manual and laborious task that is prone to error, therebyexacerbating the annoyance and inconvenience brought by commercials inthe first place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a need exists to more conveniently and effectively suppressadvertisements in broadcasts. Additionally, a need exists to moreaccurately and efficiently identify advertisements within broadcasts. Aneed also exists to more accurately and efficiently determine thebeginning and end of an advertisement in a manner which reduces userinteraction. Embodiments of the present invention provide novelsolutions to these needs and others as described below.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and systemfor altering a presentation of broadcast content. More specifically,embodiments provide an accurate and efficient mechanism for suppressingadvertisements by using downloaded templates to identify advertisementsbefore suppression for a duration indicated by information downloadedabout the advertisement, where the suppression is effectuated bycontrolling a display or set-top box using remote-control functionality.In one embodiment, a digital signal comprising broadcast content isaccessed. The digital signal may be produced from an analog broadcastsignal, digital broadcast signal (e.g., over a terrestrial connection,over the internet using internet protocol (IP) packets, over a homenetwork using IEEE 1394, etc.), camera input providing a visualrepresentation of the content, microphone input providing an auralrepresentation of the content, etc. A plurality of templates arereceived (e.g., from a database) and stored, wherein each templaterepresents a known portion of the content (e.g., an advertisement to besuppressed). The digital signal is then compared against a portion ofthe plurality of stored templates. Upon a match, a control signaloperable to alter a component of a presentation of the known portion ofthe content is generated. The control signal may alter an audiocomponent of the portion of the broadcast content (e.g., advertisementmuted, etc.). Additionally, a video component may be altered (e.g.,blank frame displayed, channel changed, etc.).

More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention pertains to amethod for altering a presentation of broadcast content. The methodincludes: accessing a digital signal comprising the broadcast content;receiving and storing a plurality of templates, wherein each templaterepresents a known portion of the broadcast content; comparing thedigital signal against a portion of the plurality of stored templates;and upon a match, generating a control signal operable to alter acomponent of a presentation of the known portion of the broadcastcontent. Another embodiment of the present invention pertains to asystem for altering a presentation of broadcast content. The systemincludes: a digitizer for accessing a digital signal comprising saidbroadcast content; a memory for receiving and storing a plurality oftemplates, wherein each template represents a known portion of thebroadcast content; a comparator for comparing the digital signal againsta portion of the plurality of stored templates; and circuitry forgenerating a control signal upon a match, wherein the control signal isoperable to alter a component of a presentation of the known portion ofthe broadcast content.

Another embodiment of the present invention pertains to a method foraltering a presentation of broadcast content, wherein the contentincludes an advertisement. The method includes: receiving and storinginformation about the advertisement from a database; accessing thestored information to determine a duration of the advertisement;altering a component of the presentation for a period of time related tothe duration; and restoring the component of the presentation upon anexpiration of the period of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram depicting an exemplary system foralteration of presentations of broadcast content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram depicting an exemplary advertisementsuppression device in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary advertisement template in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A shows a first portion of a computer-controlled process foralteration of presentations of broadcast content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B shows a second portion of a computer-controlled process foralteration of presentations of broadcast content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a process for identifying and reporting the end of abroadcast advertisement in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram depicting an exemplary system foralteration of presentations of recorded content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram depicting an exemplary system foralteration of presentations of recorded content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram depicting an exemplary advertisementsuppression device in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9A shows a first portion of a computer-controlled process foralteration of presentations of recorded content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9B shows a second portion of a computer-controlled process foralteration of presentations of recorded content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the presentinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. While the present invention will be discussed in conjunctionwith the following embodiments, it will be understood that they are notintended to limit the present invention to these embodiments alone. Onthe contrary, the present invention is intended to cover alternatives,modifications, and equivalents which may be included with the spirit andscope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the presentinvention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the present invention. However, embodiments ofthe present invention may be practiced without these specific details.In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, andcircuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarilyobscure aspects of the present invention.

NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE

Some portions of the detailed descriptions which follow are presented interms of procedures, logic blocks, processing and other symbolicrepresentations of operations on data bits within a computer memory.These descriptions and representations are the means used by thoseskilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey thesubstance of their work to others skilled in the art. In the presentapplication, a procedure, logic block, process, or the like, isconceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps or instructionsleading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physicalmanipulations of physical quantities. Usually, although not necessarily,these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capableof being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwisemanipulated in a computer system.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present invention,discussions utilizing the terms such as “identifying,” “defining,”“determining,” “performing,” “processing,” “comparing,” “repeating,”“creating,” “modifying,” “assigning,” “moving,” “establishing,” “using,”“calculating,” “adding,” “accessing,” “generating,” “limiting,”“revoking,” “restoring,” “copying,” “digitizing,” “receiving,”“storing,” “decoding,” “recording,” “producing,” “altering,”“accelerating,” “skipping,” “changing,” or the like, refer to the actionand processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computingdevice, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical(electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers andmemories into other data similarly represented as physical quantitieswithin the computer system memories or registers or other suchinformation storage, transmission or display devices.

Embodiments of the Invention

FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B and 5 concern the alteration of presentations ofbroadcast content, while FIGS. 6, 7, 8, 9A and 9B concern the alterationof presentations of recorded content. Each embodiment will be describedin turn.

Alteration of Presentations of Broadcast Content

FIG. 1 shows block diagram 100 depicting an exemplary system foralteration of presentations of broadcast content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, set-top box 110converts a broadcast signal from broadcaster 120 into analog audio 112and video 114 sent to ad suppression device 130 and audio 116 and video118 sent to display device 140. Set-top box 110 may also convert abroadcast signal from broadcaster 120 into digital audio/video 115 sentto ad suppression device 130. Ad suppression device 130 may be coupledto Internet 150, and is capable of receiving input signals used togenerate control signals (e.g., audio alteration signal 132 and videoalteration signal 134) to alter the presentation of broadcast contentvia display device 140.

Set-top box 110 may be any device capable of receiving a digital oranalog broadcast signal and decoding and outputting corresponding audioand video signals (e.g., audio 112, video 114 and digital audio/video115). It is appreciated that audio 116 and video 118 may be eitheranalog or digital signals capable of presentation (e.g., on displaydevice 140). Where audio 116 is a digital signal, any well-known digitalaudio interface may be used (e.g., S/PDIF, I²S, etc.). Similarly, wherevideo 118 is a digital signal, any well-known digital video interfacemay be used (e.g., HDMI, DVI, IEEE 1394, etc.). Additionally, audio 116may comprise a digital interface when video 118 comprises an audiointerface, and vice versa. Accordingly, it should be understood thatset-top box 110 may include components and circuitry necessary to input,output, convert, adjust and/or process such audio and video signals.

Although no user inputs to set-top box 110 are shown in FIG. 1, itshould be understood that set-top box 110 may include a user interface(e.g., graphical user interface (GUI), command line interface, touchscreen interface, voice-activated interface, menu-driven interface,manual switch, etc.). As such, although audio 112, audio 116 and anaudio portion of digital audio/video 115 are derived from the samebroadcast signal (e.g., that of broadcaster 120), it should beunderstood that each may be altered independently (e.g., volume reduced,etc.) by either set-top box 110 and/or a user input. Similarly, althoughvideo 114, video 118 and a video portion of digital audio/video 115 arederived from the same broadcast signal (e.g., that of broadcaster 120),it should be understood that each may be altered independently by eitherset-top box 110 and/or a user input.

As shown in FIG. 1, ad suppression device 130 may use both analog anddigital input signals to determine how to alter the presentation ofbroadcast content on a display device (e.g., 140) via audio/videoalteration signals (e.g., 132 and 134). For example, input signals fromset-top box 110 (e.g., 112, 114 and/or 115) may be used. Alternatively,camera output 143 from camera 141 (e.g., based upon light 142representing a still or motion portion of the broadcast contentdisplayed on display device 140) may be used by ad suppression device130 to determine how to alter the presentation of broadcast content. Andin another embodiment, mic output 146 from mic 144 (e.g., based uponsound 145 representing an audio portion of the broadcast content fromdisplay device 140) may be used.

Audio alteration signal 132 may be transmitted to any analog or digitalinput of a display device via either a wired or wireless (e.g., infraredremote, etc.) interface. Similarly, video alteration signal 134 may betransmitted to any analog or digital input of a display device viaeither a wired or wireless (e.g., infrared remote, etc.) interface. Assuch, audio alteration signal 132 and video alteration signal 134provide remote-control functionality (e.g., any command executed by aremote for a given display device) to ad suppression device 130.

For example, upon determining that an advertisement is being broadcast,ad suppression device 130 may execute any command conventionally carriedout by a remote control to alter the video (e.g., rendering a menu whichoverlays the displayed presentation, altering the size of the windowdisplaying the content, activating a programming guide, changingchannels, placing the display in standby mode, powering off the display,etc.) displayed on the display device (e.g., 140) or the sound (e.g.,reducing the volume, muting, replacing with supplemental audio, etc.)reproduced by either the display device or a remote amplification system(not shown), thereby altering or suppressing the advertisement.

Although the output interfaces carrying audio/video signals from set-topbox 110 may utilize different signaling techniques and possibly containsignal alterations, it should be understood that the ad suppressiondevice interface (e.g., audio 112, video 114 and/or digital audio/video115) and the display interface (e.g., audio 116 and video 118) should besynchronized such that ad suppression device 130 may track what iscurrently being presented via display device 140 to enable advertisementalteration or suppression. For example, if the presentation on displaydevice 140 is delayed due to buffering, re-clocking, etc., then adsuppression device 130 may account for this (e.g., via another interface(not shown), etc.). As such, ad suppression device 130 may alter contentpresented on display device 140 more precisely (e.g., closer to thebeginning of an advertisement), thereby reducing premature or delayedalteration.

As shown in FIG. 1, ad suppression device 130 may receive advertisementtemplates and other information necessary to carry out contentalteration from Internet 150. Templates representing advertisements maybe downloaded from another system or database (not shown) coupled toInternet 150 on a regular basis. As such, ad suppression device 130 maydownload templates and make comparisons with the content input via audio112, video 114, digital audio/video 115, camera output 143 and/or micoutput 146 (e.g., after digitizing, decoding, encoding, etc.) todetermine if an advertisement is being displayed. Upon detecting anadvertisement, ad suppression device 130 may alter the presentation ofthe content comprising the advertisement until the end of theadvertisement is detected (e.g. by downloading information as to theduration of the advertisement from Internet 150), at which time thepresentation of the content may be restored to an unaltered state.

Templates downloaded via Internet 150 for advertisement detectionpurposes may comprise audio and/or video content. For example, an audiosegment may be downloaded in any audio file format recognizable by adsuppression device 130 (e.g., WAV, MP3, etc.), and then compared withthe audio supplied for the broadcast content (e.g., after digitizing,decoding and/or encoding). Similarly, a video segment may be downloadedin any video file format recognizable by ad suppression device 130(e.g., I-frame, MPEG, VC1, AVI, etc.) for comparative purposes. Thus,after processing (e.g., digitizing, decoding and/or encoding,compressing and/or decompressing, etc.) the audio and/or video inputsignals, ad suppression device 130 may compare the downloaded templateto the input signal (e.g., an extracted portion thereof) to determine ifan advertisement is currently being presented. Upon detecting a match,the advertising content may be altered by ad suppression device 130 asdiscussed above.

FIG. 2 shows block diagram 200 depicting an exemplary advertisementsuppression device in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. Ad suppression device 230, as denoted by the dashed box inFIG. 2, may be used interchangeably with ad suppression device 130 ofFIG. 1.

As shown if FIG. 2, ad suppression device 230 may receive both analogand digital signals. For example, analog audio 212, analog video 214and/or digital audio/video 215 from media playback device 210 (e.g.,set-top box 110) may be input. Additionally, camera output 243 fromcamera 241 (e.g., based upon light 242 representing a still or motionportion of the broadcast content displayed on display device 240) andmic output 246 from mic 244 (e.g., based upon sound 245 representing anaudio portion of the broadcast content from display device 240) may beinput to ad suppression device 230, where the signals may be eitheranalog or digital. The analog audio/video signals may then be digitizedin digitizer 237 to produce a digital signal representing the broadcastcontent. Digital signals from digitizer or other digital inputs (e.g.,215, digital camera output (not shown), digital mic output (not shown),etc.) may then be fed to MUX 231 for access by comparator 238.

Template memory 235 may receive and store advertisement templates fromInternet 250 (e.g., via a remote database) for access by comparator 238.The templates may comprise audio and/or video segments as discussedabove with respect to FIG. 1. Additionally, template memory 235 maycomprise any register or memory (e.g., flash memory, volatile randomaccess memory, non-volatile read only memory, optical and/or magneticphysical media, etc.) capable of storing and providing access to theadvertisement templates.

Comparator 238 may comprise logic and/or circuitry capable of comparingportions of the digital signal output from MUX 231 with templates withintemplate memory 235. For example, comparator 238 may be implementedusing central processing units and/or digital signal processing units.Upon detecting a match, comparator 238 may send a signal to audio/videoalteration signal generator 239 to in turn generate audio alterationsignal 232 and/or video alteration signal 234. The alteration signal orsignals may then be received by display device 240 to alter thepresentation of the broadcast content as discussed above with respect toFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows exemplary advertisement template 300 in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, advertisingtemplate 300 may comprise three sections, where each section providesinformation to an ad suppression device (e.g., 130 or 230) to permitefficient storage and use of the templates. Although only three sectionsare depicted in FIG. 3, it should be appreciated that a larger orsmaller number of sections may be used in other embodiments.

Audio/video segment 310 may include digitized audio and/or videosegments for comparison with digital portions of content (e.g., bycomparator 238), where audio/video segment 310 may be encoded. Forexample, when audio/video segment 310 comprises audio data, the segmentmay be encoded in WAV format, or optionally encoded in compressed formas a MP3, OGG, or similar file. When audio/video segment 310 comprisesvideo data, the video may be encoded in any well-known format (e.g.,I-frame, MPEG, VC1, AVI, etc.). As such, the size of template 300 may bereduced by including shorter audio and/or video segments, andadditionally by compressing the data comprising audio/video segment 310.Thus, embodiments provide for increased-speed, lower-bandwidth transfersof templates to ad suppression devices (e.g., 130 or 230).

Durational information 320 may provide data as to the number of framesor the run time of an advertisement represented by advertisementtemplate 300. As such, durational information 320 may provide an adsuppression device with information to enable the device to return thepresentation of content to an unaltered state (e.g., when a commercialbreak ends and a program returns). Moreover, durational information 320may comprise a very small amount of data (e.g., a few bytes), therebymaintaining the increased-speed, low-bandwidth transferability oftemplate 300.

Advertisement information 330 may provide information about theadvertisement itself to enable improved storage and access by an adsuppression device (e.g., 130 or 230). For example, advertisementtemplates may be grouped by type of product or service advertised,business entity affiliated with the advertisement, etc. Such a groupingmay improve storage times since, for example, other advertisementtemplates may not need to be accessed when storing a new template sincestored templates may have already been identified and/or grouped.Moreover, access times may be reduced since only a subset of the storedtemplates need to be accessed to perform comparisons with digitizedcontent (e.g., by comparator 238) when identifying information isdiscerned from the digitized content (e.g., output from MUX 231). FIGS.4A and 4B show computer-controlled process 400 for alteration ofpresentations of broadcast content in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention. As the steps of process 200 are described herein,reference will be made to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 to provide examples and helpclarify the discussion.

As shown in FIG. 4A, step 410 involves decoding a broadcast signal. Suchdecoding may be performed by a set-top box (e.g., 110) to derive contenttransmitted from a broadcaster (e.g., 120) over a terrestrial orwireless connection. Decoding may involve deriving separate audio andvideo signals. Alternatively, the combined audio and video signal may beconverted to another form for later dissection. Additionally, thebroadcast signal may be either digital or analog as discussed above, andmay be encrypted for additional security. If encrypted, the decoding anddecrypting may occur in any order.

After decoding and/or decrypting the broadcast signal to produce adecoded signal or signals, the decoded signal or signals may beprocessed in step 420. In a set-top box capable of receiving andoutputting digital and analog signals (e.g., 110), either digital oranalog processing may be performed to ready the signal for transmissionto the ad suppression device (e.g., 130 and/or 230). For example, ananalog broadcast signal input to the set-top box may undergo analogprocessing if transmitted to the ad suppression device in analog form,or alternatively undergo either analog and/or digital processing iftransmitted to the ad suppression device in digital form. Similarly, adigital broadcast signal input to the set-top box may undergo digitalprocessing if transmitted to the ad suppression device in digital form,or alternatively undergo either analog and/or digital processing iftransmitted to the ad suppression device in analog form. In anotherembodiment, the set-top box may perform analog and/or digital processingin step 420 regardless of the form of the signal transmitted to the adsuppression device.

In another embodiment, a decoded signal that has not yet been split intoaudio and video signals may be further processed in step 420 in combinedform. After the processing has been performed, the signal may then besplit into audio and video signals (e.g., analog and/or digital). Afterbeing split, additional processing may be performed.

As shown in FIG. 4A, step 430 involves digitizing analog audio and/orvideo signals comprising the broadcast content. As such,analog-to-digital conversion should be performed in step 430 along withany necessary signal processing (e.g., current-to-voltage conversion,amplification, etc.) to prepare the signals for comparison (e.g., bycomparator 238) with ad templates (e.g., 300). Consequently, it shouldbe appreciated that step 430 may be bypassed if the broadcast content isalready in a digital format suitable for comparison. Once a digitalsignal comprising the broadcast content is present, a digital contentsegment may be extracted in step 440. The extracted segment may be of asize and format enabling comparison with an audio/video segment of adownloaded template (e.g., 310). As such, it should be appreciated thatthe content segment may comprise more or less content than contained inthe template.

As shown in FIG. 4B, step 450 involves receiving and storing a pluralityof advertisement templates, where such templates may be downloaded to anad suppression device (e.g., 130 or 230). As discussed above with regardto FIGS. 1 and 3, such templates may comprise audio and/or videosegments of broadcast content (e.g., advertisements). Moreover, suchsegments may be small in size (e.g., a short sound byte, an I-frame,etc.) to allow quick download from a database, thereby increasing theutility of the ad suppression device when coupled to a slow Internetconnection. Additionally, as new commercials are aired, the database maybe updated to help identify new advertisements. For example, upondiscovering an advertisement without an associated template in thedatabase, a sequence of frames or a sound byte may be recorded,compressed, processed to produce a template and uploaded to the databasefor future download by ad suppression devices.

Once an advertisement template is downloaded (e.g., via Internet 150 or250), it may be stored in memory for future access. The memory may be astorage device within the ad suppression device (e.g., 130 or 230),including but not limited to a hard disk drive, flash memory, randomaccess memory, read only memory or the like. Alternatively, thetemplates may be stored in a device or system coupled to the adsuppression device. As such, the templates may be accessed quickly giventheir local storage and small size, thereby increasing theresponsiveness of the system. Moreover, a large number may be stored ina small place given the small size of the templates, thereby extendingthe increased responsiveness to a larger number of advertisements.

After digitizing a content segment, a determination is made in step 460as to whether a portion of the digital content segment (e.g., extractedin step 440) matches a portion of a stored template (e.g., audio/videosegment 310), where the comparison may be performed by a comparator(e.g., 238) within the ad suppression device (e.g., 130 or 230). If atemplate accessed from a template memory (e.g., 235) does not match aportion of the digital content segment, then steps 430, 440 and 450 maybe repeated until a match is detected. Additionally, this series ofsteps may be repeated at various intervals to vary the precision of theadvertisement detection and alteration mechanisms of the presentinvention. For example, the intervals may be lengthened within a giventime period after an advertisement has completed, as the probability ofanother advertisement being broadcast within that time period may berelatively low. Thereafter, the intervals may be decreased to improveprecision as the probability of another advertisement being broadcastincreases.

However, if a portion of a digital content segment matches a storedtemplate, then a control signal may be generated to alter or suppressthe advertisement in step 470. As discussed above with respect to FIG.1, the ad suppression device (e.g., 130 or 230) may send an audio and/orvideo alteration signal (e.g., 132 and/or 134) to a display (e.g., 140)and/or audio device (not shown in FIG. 1) presenting content containingan advertisement to be altered or suppressed. The control signal mayutilize a remote control interface of the display device, such that thecontrol signal provides remote control functionality to the adsuppression device (e.g., enabling the ad suppression device to activateany function of a remote control of the display device). The audioand/or video alteration may continue until the advertisement beingaltered ends and the non-advertising content resumes. As such, analteration ending point may be identified (e.g., by accessing durationalinformation 300 of template 300), at which time the presentation may bereturned to an unaltered state.

In one embodiment, an alteration ending point may be identified in step480 using durational information about an advertisement downloaded froman Internet connection (e.g., from Internet 150), which may be performedin accordance with process 500 of FIG. 5. This information may beattached to an audio and/or video template (e.g., as durationalinformation 300 of template 300). Alternatively, this information may bedownloaded separately. If the durational information is downloadedseparately, the ad suppression device (e.g., 130 or 230) may optionallysort or group the templates and durational information packets to allowfaster access to the durational information once an advertisement isidentified. Moreover, it should be understood that separating thetemplates and durational information, the speed at which the adsuppression device may access and compare durational information may beincreased given the smaller template sizes and the need to parse thetemplate information from the combined data packet. Regardless of itslocation, the durational information may then be used to calculate theending point of the advertisement by adding the duration of anadvertisement to its estimated start point (e.g., the point at which amatch was discovered). Thereafter, the alteration may be suspended atthe calculated end point.

Alternatively, a set of templates for the end of the advertisements(ending templates) may be downloaded and stored to the ad suppressiondevice (e.g., similar to the templates corresponding to the beginning ofadvertisements in step 440 and depicted in FIG. 3). As such, byperforming steps similar to 450 and 460 using the ending templates,digitized and/or encoded content segments may be compared against theending templates to identify the end of the advertisement. Thereafter,alteration may be suspended at the identified end point.

After suspending alteration, the presentation of the broadcast contentmay be restored to an unaltered state in step 490. The restoration maybe carried out using the same means discussed above with respect tousing a control signal to alter the presentation of the content in step470. As such, audio and video alteration signals (e.g., 132 and/or 134)from the ad suppression device may be used to return the presentation toan unaltered state.

FIG. 5 shows process 500 for identifying and reporting the end of abroadcast advertisement in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. In one embodiment, process 500 may be used to identify and/orreport an alteration ending point in step 480 of FIG. 4B.

As shown in FIG. 5, step 510 involves receiving information about anadvertisement. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 4B, theinformation may be durational information about advertisements receivedover an Internet connection of an ad suppression device (e.g., either aspart of a template or as a separate packet from the template). Asdiscussed above with respect to FIG. 3, the information may comprise asmall data packet that indicates the length of the advertisement (e.g.,time duration, number of frames, etc.), which then may be used tocalculate the end of the advertisement. Thereafter, the information maybe stored in step 520 as discussed above in step 450 of FIG. 4B and withrespect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

After receiving and storing information about advertisements, the adsuppression device (e.g., 130 or 230) may access durational information(e.g., 320) corresponding to an advertisement to be altered to determineits duration in step 530. The ad suppression device may access each datapacket or template individually to make this determination.Alternatively, the data packets or templates may be grouped to speed thesearch (e.g., by length, number of frames, business entity affiliatedwith the advertisement, type of product or service advertised, etc.),where the ad suppression device may discern the grouping criteria fromthe presentation itself, information bundled with the broadcast and/orinformation contained within the matched template (e.g., advertisementinformation 330). The ad suppression device may begin searching with anappropriate group first. Thereafter, other groups may then be searched(e.g., in order of decreasing relevance) if the ad information is notfound in the first group. Alternatively, a database of storedadvertisement information may be indexed using information from thematched template (e.g., 320 or 330) to derive the location (e.g.,physical device or component, address within memory, etc.) of thecorresponding advertisement information. Thereafter, the information maybe accessed to determine durational information (e.g., 320)corresponding to the advertisement.

As shown in FIG. 5, step 540 involves adding the durational informationderived in step 530 with a start position of the advertisement to besuppressed to determine an ending position. The start position may bederived from the digitized content segment matched to a template. Forexample, if a three-frame sequence of a digitized content sequence ismatched to a template, then the starting point may be taken from thefirst frame of that sequence. Alternatively, the second or third framemay be used (e.g., if the first frame is a blank frame). Thereafter, aframe number or time may be assigned to the frame, to which thedurational information may be added. Alternatively, where an audiotemplate is matched, the time associated with some point within thematched content segment (e.g., beginning, end, middle, etc.) may berecorded, to which the duration information may be added. As such, aframe or time associated with the content may be determined to be theending position of the advertisement. Thereafter, the end position maybe reported to the ad suppression device (e.g., 130 or 230) in step 550so that the presentation may be returned to an unaltered state at theappropriate time (e.g., at the conclusion of the advertising content).

Alteration of Presentations of Recorded Content

FIG. 6 shows block diagram 600 depicting an exemplary system foralteration of presentations of recorded content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, personal videorecorder (PVR) 660 converts a broadcast signal from broadcaster 620 intoanalog audio 662, analog video 664 and/or digital audio/video 665 sentto ad suppression device 630. Content to be displayed may be sent viaaudio 666 and video 668 to display device 640. Alternatively, audioand/or video signals may be sent to display device 640 via adsuppression device 630 (e.g., through audio 632 and video 634). Adsuppression device 630 is coupled to Internet 650, and is capable ofreceiving input signals used to generate a control signal (e.g.,audio/video alteration signal 636) to alter the playback of content fromPVR 660.

PVR 660 may be any device capable of receiving a digital or analogbroadcast signal, recording content decoded from the broadcast signal,and outputting corresponding audio and video signals (e.g., audio 662,video 664 and/or digital audio/video 665). As shown in FIG. 6, PVR 660may be coupled to Internet 650 to receive programming information,hardware/software updates and the like. The content recorded on PVR 660may be stored in any device or component coupled to PVR 660 (e.g., ahard disk drive, flash memory, random access memory, read only memory,etc.). It is appreciated that audio 666 and video 668 may be eitheranalog or digital signals capable of presentation (e.g., on displaydevice 640). Where audio 666 is a digital signal, any well-known digitalaudio interface may be used (e.g., S/PDIF, I²S, etc.). Similarly, wherevideo 668 is a digital signal, any well-known digital video interfacemay be used (e.g., HDMI, DVI, IEEE 1394, etc.). Additionally, audio 666may comprise a digital interface when video 468 comprises an audiointerface, and vice versa. Accordingly, it should be understood that PVR660 may include components and circuitry necessary to input, output,convert, adjust and/or process such audio and video signals.

Although no user inputs to PVR 660 are shown in FIG. 6, it should beunderstood that PVR 660 may include a user interface (e.g., graphicaluser interface (GUI), command line interface, touch screen interface,voice-activated interface, menu-driven interface, manual switch, etc.).As such, although audio 662, audio 666 (and/or audio 632) and an audioportion of digital audio/video 665 are derived from the same broadcastsignal (e.g., that of broadcaster 620), it should be understood thateach may be altered independently (e.g., volume reduced, etc.) by eitherPVR 660 and/or a user input. Similarly, although video 664, video 668(and/or video 634) and a video portion of digital audio/video 665 arederived from the same broadcast signal (e.g., that of broadcaster 620),it should be understood that each may be altered independently by eitherPVR 640 and/or a user input.

As shown in FIG. 6, ad suppression device 630 may use both analog anddigital input signals to determine how to alter the presentation ofrecorded content on a display device (e.g., 640) via an audio/videoalteration signal (e.g., 636). For example, input signals from PVR 660(e.g., 662, 664 and/or 665) may be used. Alternatively, camera output643 from camera 641 (e.g., based upon light 642 representing a still ormotion portion of the recorded content displayed on display device 640)may be used by ad suppression device 630 to determine how to alter thepresentation of recorded content. And in another embodiment, mic output646 from mic 644 (e.g., based upon sound 645 representing an audioportion of the recorded content from display device 640) may be used.

Audio/video alteration signal 636 may be transmitted to any analog ordigital input of PVR 660 via either a wired or wireless (e.g., infraredremote, etc.) interface. As such, audio/video alteration signal 636 mayprovide remote-control functionality (e.g., any command executed by aremote for a given PVR) to ad suppression device 630. For example, upondetermining that an advertisement is being played, the ad suppressiondevice may execute any command conventionally carried out by a remotecontrol to alter the video (e.g., placing in standby mode, changingchannels, accelerating playback from the PVR, skipping ahead, renderinga menu which overlays the displayed presentation, altering the size ofthe window displaying the content, activating a programming guide, etc.)displayed on the display device (e.g., 640) or the sound (e.g., reducingthe volume, muting, replacing with supplemental audio, etc.) reproducedby either the display device or a remote amplification system (notshown), thereby altering or suppressing the recorded advertisement.

Although the output interfaces carrying audio/video signals from PVR 660may utilize different signaling techniques and possibly contain signalalterations, it should be understood that the ad suppression deviceinterface (e.g., audio 662, video 664 and/or digital audio/video 665)and the display interface (e.g., audio 666 and video 668 and/or audio632 and video 634) should be synchronized such that ad suppressiondevice 630 may track what is currently being presented via displaydevice 640 to enable advertisement alteration or suppression. Forexample, if the presentation on display device 640 is delayed due tobuffering, reclocking, etc., then ad suppression device 630 may accountfor this (e.g., via another interface (not shown), etc.). As such, adsuppression device 630 may alter content presented on display device 640more precisely (e.g., closer to the beginning of an advertisement),thereby reducing premature or delayed alteration.

As shown in FIG. 6, ad suppression device 630 may receive advertisementtemplates and other information necessary to carry out contentalteration from Internet 650. Templates representing advertisements maybe downloaded from another system or database (not shown) coupled toInternet 650 on a regular basis. As such, ad suppression device 630 maydownload templates and make comparisons with the content input via audio662, video 664, digital audio/video 665, camera output 643 and/or micoutput 646 (e.g., after digitizing, decoding, encoding, etc.) todetermine if an advertisement is being displayed. Upon detecting anadvertisement, ad suppression device 630 may alter the presentation ofthe content comprising the advertisement until the end of theadvertisement is detected (e.g. by accessing durational information forthe advertisement), at which time the presentation of the content may berestored to an unaltered state.

Templates downloaded via Internet 650 may be analogous to thosediscussed above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3. As such, an audio segmentmay be downloaded in any audio file format recognizable by adsuppression device 630 (e.g., WAV, MP3, etc.), and then compared withthe audio corresponding to the recorded content (e.g., after digitizing,decoding and/or encoding). Similarly, a video segment may be downloadedin any video file format recognizable by ad suppression device 630(e.g., I-frame, MPEG, VC1, AVI, etc.) for comparative purposes. Thus,after processing (e.g., digitizing, decoding and/or encoding,compressing and/or decompressing, etc.) the audio and/or video inputsignals, ad suppression device 630 may compare the downloaded templateto the input signal (e.g., an extracted portion thereof) to determine ifan advertisement is currently being presented. Upon detecting a match,the advertising content may be altered by ad suppression device 630 asdiscussed above.

FIG. 7 shows block diagram 700 depicting an exemplary system foralteration of presentations of recorded content in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. Set-top box 710 converts abroadcast signal from broadcaster 720 into audio 712 and video 714 sentto PVR 770, where audio 712 and video 714 may be either digital oranalog. PVR 770 may then record and playback content (e.g., via audio772, video 774 and digital audio/video 775 to ad suppression device 730,and via audio 776 and video 778 to display device 740) output fromset-top box 710. Alternatively, audio and/or video signals may be sentto display device 740 via ad suppression device 730 through audio 732and video 734.

Similar to ad suppression device 630 of FIG. 6, ad suppression device730 is coupled to Internet 750 and may use both analog and digital inputsignals to determine how to alter the presentation of recorded contenton a display device (e.g., 740) via an audio/video alteration signal(e.g., 736). For example, input signals from PVR 770 (e.g., 772, 774and/or 775) may be used. Alternatively, camera output 743 from camera741 (e.g., based upon light 742 representing a still or motion portionof the recorded content displayed on display device 740) may be used byad suppression device 730 to determine how to alter the presentation ofrecorded content. And in another embodiment, mic output 746 from mic 744(e.g., based upon sound 745 representing an audio portion of therecorded content from display device 740) may be used.

PVR 770 may operate analogously to PVR 660, with the exception of anadditional audio/video input to receive audio/video signals (e.g., audio712 and video 714) from a set-top box (e.g., 710). As such, decodingand/or decrypting duties performed by PVR 660 may be offloaded toset-top box 710 as shown in FIG. 7. Thereafter, the decoded/decryptedcontent may then be transmitted to PVR 770 via audio 712 and video 714.Additionally, PVR 770 may be coupled to Internet 750 to receiveprogramming information, hardware/software updates and the like.

FIG. 8 shows block diagram 800 depicting an exemplary advertisementsuppression device in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. Ad suppression device 830 operates similarly to adsuppression device 230 of FIG. 2, except that audio/video alterationsignal 836 provides remote control functionality of PVR 860 to suppressadvertisements rather than providing remote control functionality of adisplay device displaying broadcast content. Additionally, adsuppression device 830, as denoted by the dashed box in FIG. 8, may beused interchangeably with ad suppression device 630 of FIG. 6 or adsuppression device 730 of FIG. 7.

As shown if FIG. 8, ad suppression device 830 may receive both analogand digital signals. For example, analog audio 862, analog video 864and/or digital audio/video 865 from PVR 860 may be input. Additionally,camera output 843 from camera 841 (e.g., based upon light 842representing a still or motion portion of the broadcast contentdisplayed on display device 840) and mic output 846 from mic 844 (e.g.,based upon sound 845 representing an audio portion of the broadcastcontent from display device 840) may be input to ad suppression device830, where the signals may be either analog or digital. The analogaudio/video signals may then be digitized in digitizer 837 to produce adigital signal representing the broadcast content. Digital signals fromdigitizer or other digital inputs (e.g., 815, digital camera output (notshown), digital mic output (not shown), etc.) may then be fed to MUX 831for access by comparator 838.

Template memory 835 may operate analogously to template memory 235 ofFIG. 2, thereby receiving and storing advertisement templates fromInternet 850 (e.g., via a remote database) for access by comparator 838.The templates may comprise audio and/or video segments as discussedabove with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7. Additionally, template memory 835may comprise any register or memory (e.g., flash memory, volatile randomaccess memory, non-volatile read only memory, optical and/or magneticphysical media, etc.) capable of storing and providing access to theadvertisement templates.

Comparator 838 may comprise logic and/or circuitry capable of comparingportions of the digital signal output from MUX 838 with templates withintemplate memory 835, where comparator 838 may operate analogously tocomparator 238 of FIG. 2. For example, comparator 238 may be implementedusing central processing units and/or digital signal processing units.Upon detecting a match, comparator 838 may send a signal to audio/videoalteration signal generator 839 to in turn generate audio/videoalteration signal 836. The alteration signal may then be received by PVR860 to alter the presentation of the recorded content (e.g., viaalteration of audio 862 and video 864) as discussed above with respectto FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show computer-controlled process 900 for alteration ofpresentations of recorded content in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention. As the steps of process 900 are described herein,reference will be made to FIGS. 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 to provide examples andhelp clarify the discussion.

As shown in FIG. 9A, step 910 involves decoding a broadcast signal. Suchdecoding may be performed by a set-top box (e.g., 710) or personal videorecorder (e.g., 660 or 770) to derive content transmitted from abroadcaster (e.g., 620 or 720) over a terrestrial or wirelessconnection. Decoding may involve deriving separate audio and videosignals. Alternatively, the combined audio and video signal may beconverted to another form for later dissection. Additionally, thebroadcast signal may be either digital or analog as discussed above, andmay be encrypted for additional security. If encrypted, the decoding anddecrypting may occur in any order.

After decoding and/or decrypting the broadcast signal to produce adecoded signal or signals, the decoded signal or signals may beconverted to data and stored for later access by a PVR (e.g., 660 or770) in step 920. As discussed above, the content may be stored in anydevice or component coupled to the PVR (e.g., a hard disk drive, flashmemory, random access memory, read only memory, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 9A, step 925 involves accessing the stored content.Such access may be initiated by a user interface for the set-top box orPVR as discussed above. Alternatively, the PVR may access the contentautomatically upon the occurrence of an event (e.g., executing aplaylist, timer set for delayed playback, etc.). Thereafter, theaccessed content may be processed.

In a PVR capable of outputting digital and analog signals (e.g., 660and/or 770), either digital or analog processing may be performed toready the signal for transmission to the ad suppression device (e.g.,630, 730 and/or 830). For example, upon accessing the data stored instep 920 in digital form, digital processing may be performed iftransmitted to the ad suppression device in digital form, oralternatively undergo either analog and/or digital processing iftransmitted to the ad suppression device in analog form. In anotherembodiment, the PVR may perform analog and/or digital processing in step925 regardless of the form of the signal transmitted to the adsuppression device.

As shown in FIG. 9A, step 930 involves digitizing analog audio and/orvideo signals comprising the broadcast content. As such,analog-to-digital conversion should be performed in step 930 along withany necessary signal processing (e.g., current-to-voltage conversion,amplification, etc.) to prepare the signals for comparison (e.g., bycomparator 838) with ad templates (e.g., 300). Consequently, it shouldbe appreciated that step 930 may be bypassed if the broadcast content isalready in a digital format suitable for comparison. Once a digitalsignal comprising the broadcast content is present, a digital contentsegment may be extracted in step 940. The extracted segment may be of asize and format enabling comparison with an audio/video segment of adownloaded template (e.g., 310). As such, it should be appreciated thatthe content segment may comprise more or less content than contained inthe template.

As shown in FIG. 9B, step 950 involves receiving and storing a pluralityof advertisement templates as discussed above with respect to step 450of FIG. 4, where such templates may be downloaded to an ad suppressiondevice (e.g., 630 or 730). Thereafter, a determination may then be madein step 960 as to whether a portion of the digital content segment(e.g., extracted in step 940) matches a portion of a stored template(e.g., audio/video segment 310), where the comparison may be performedby a comparator (e.g., 838) within the ad suppression device (e.g., 630,730 and/or 830). If a template does not match a portion of the digitalcontent segment, then steps 930, 940 and 950 may be repeated until amatch is detected. This procedure may be repeated at various intervalsto vary the precision of the advertisement detection and alterationmechanisms of the present invention as discussed above with respect tostep 460 of FIG. 4.

However, if a portion of a digitized and/or encoded content segmentmatches a stored template, then a control signal may be generated toalter or suppress the advertisement in step 970. As discussed above withrespect to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the ad suppression device (e.g., 630, 730and/or 830) may send an audio/video alteration signal (e.g., 636, 736and/or 836) to a PVR (e.g., 660, 770 and/or 860) playing recordedcontent containing an advertisement to be altered or suppressed. Theaudio and/or video alteration (e.g., muting, accelerated playback,skipping ahead, etc.) may continue until the advertisement being alteredends and the non-advertising content resumes. As such, an alterationending point should be identified, at which time the presentation may bereturned to an unaltered state.

In one embodiment, an alteration ending point may be identified in step980 using durational information about an advertisement downloaded froman Internet connection (e.g., from Internet 650, 750 and/or 850), whichmay be performed in accordance with process 500 of FIG. 5. Thisinformation may be attached to an audio and/or video template (e.g., asdurational information 320 of template 300). Alternatively, thisinformation may be downloaded separately. If the durational informationis downloaded separately, the ad suppression device (e.g., 630, 730and/or 830) may optionally sort or group the templates and durationalinformation packets to allow faster access to the durational informationonce an advertisement is identified. Moreover, it should be understoodthat separating the templates and durational information, the speed atwhich the ad suppression device may access and compare durationalinformation may be increased given the smaller template sizes and theneed to parse the template information from the combined data packet.Regardless of its location, the durational information may then be usedto calculate the ending point of the advertisement by adding theduration of an advertisement to its estimated start point (e.g., thepoint at which a match was discovered). Thereafter, the alteration(e.g., accelerated playback) may be suspended at the calculated endpoint (e.g., automatically by the PVR).

Alternatively, a set of templates for the end of the advertisements(ending templates) may be downloaded and stored to the ad suppressiondevice (e.g., similar to the templates corresponding to the beginning ofadvertisements in step 950 and depicted in FIG. 3). As such, byperforming steps similar to 950 and 960 using the ending templates,digitized and/or encoded content segments may be compared against theending templates to identify the end of the advertisement. Thereafter,alteration (e.g., accelerated playback) may be suspended at theidentified end point (e.g., automatically by the PVR). After suspendingalteration, the presentation of the recorded content may be restored toan unaltered state in step 990. The restoration may be carried out usingthe same means discussed above with respect to using a control signal toalter the presentation of the content in step 970. As such, anaudio/video alteration signal (e.g., 636, 736 and/or 836) from the adsuppression device may be used to return the presentation to anunaltered state.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have beendescribed with reference to numerous specific details that may vary fromimplementation to implementation. Thus, the sole and exclusive indicatorof what is, and is intended by the applicant to be, the invention is theset of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form inwhich such claims issue, including any subsequent correction. Hence, nolimitation, element, property, feature, advantage, or attribute that isnot expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of such claim inany way. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regardedin an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

1. A method of altering a presentation of broadcast content, said methodcomprising: accessing a digital signal comprising said broadcastcontent; receiving and storing a plurality of templates; comparing saidbroadcast content to said plurality of templates; and responsive todetecting a match between a portion of said broadcast content and aparticular template of said plurality of templates, generating a controlsignal operable to alter a component of a presentation of said portionof said broadcast content.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein saidparticular template comprises a frame of said portion of said broadcastcontent.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said particular templatecomprises an audio data segment of said portion of said broadcastcontent.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of templatesare received over an Internet connection.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein said component comprises audio, and wherein said control signalcauses a reduction in volume of said audio.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein said component comprises video, and wherein said control signalcauses a display of supplemental content.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein said supplemental content comprises a blank frame.
 8. The methodof claim 1, wherein said control signal is a remote control signal. 9.The method of claim 1 further comprising: decoding a broadcast signal;and producing said digital signal from said decoded broadcast signal.10. The method of claim 9, wherein said decoding and said producing areperformed by a set-top box.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein saidaccessing, receiving, storing, comparing and generating are performed ona device separate from said set-top box.
 12. The method of claim 1further comprising: producing said digital signal from an input signalof a camera operable to receive a visual representation of saidbroadcast content.
 13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:producing said digital signal from an input signal of a microphoneoperable to receive an aural representation of said broadcast content.14. The method of claim 1, wherein said portion of said broadcastcontent is an advertisement.
 15. A system for altering a presentation ofbroadcast content, said system comprising: a digitizer operable toaccess a digital signal comprising said broadcast content; a memoryoperable to receive and store a plurality of templates; a comparatoroperable to compare said broadcast content to said plurality oftemplates; and circuitry operable to generate a control signalresponsive to detecting a match between a portion of said broadcastcontent and a particular template of said plurality of templates,wherein said control signal is operable to alter a component of apresentation of said portion of said broadcast content.
 16. The systemof claim 15, wherein said particular template comprises a frame of saidportion of said broadcast content.
 17. The system of claim 15, whereinsaid particular template comprises an audio data segment of said portionof said broadcast content.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein saidplurality of templates are received over an Internet connection.
 19. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein said component comprises audio, and whereinsaid control signal causes a reduction in volume of said audio.
 20. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein said component comprises video, and whereinsaid control signal causes a display of supplemental content.
 21. Thesystem of claim 20, wherein said supplemental content comprises a blankframe.
 22. The system of claim 15, wherein said control signal is aremote control signal.
 23. The system of claim 15, wherein said digitalsignal is produced from an input signal of a camera operable to receivea visual representation of said broadcast content.
 24. The system ofclaim 15, wherein said digital signal is produced from an input signalof a microphone operable to receive an aural representation of saidbroadcast content.
 25. The system of claim 15, wherein said portion ofsaid broadcast content is an advertisement.
 26. A method of altering apresentation of broadcast content, said method comprising: receiving andstoring information about an advertisement from a database; accessingsaid information to determine a duration of said advertisement;comparing a digital signal comprising said broadcast content to at leastone template; altering a component of said presentation for a period oftime related to said duration; and restoring said component of saidpresentation.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein said altering acomponent comprises reducing a volume of an audio portion of saidpresentation.
 28. The method of claim 26, wherein said altering acomponent comprises displaying supplemental content associated with avideo portion of said presentation.
 29. The method of claim 28, whereinsaid supplemental content comprises a blank frame.